Main Street work could last 2 more months

Hendersonville officials are asking merchants to be patient as the final construction work downtown stretches into the tourist season.

By Emily WeaverTimes-News Staff Writer

Frustrated by months of operating under a “cloud of dust” on blockaded streets, some downtown merchants say they've had enough. But Hendersonville officials are asking them to be patient as the final construction work on streetscape improvements along Main Street stretches into the tourist season.“This was supposed to be over in April,” said Eva Ritchey, owner of Once Upon a Sign at 305 N. Main St. in Hendersonville.Interim City Manager Lee Galloway said it may be another two months before work is complete, however.A letter sent to downtown merchants, property owners and tenants Monday detailed the timeframe for upcoming work, including crosswalk installations and a final pour of asphalt scheduled to cause temporary road closures through the week.“Regretfully, due to some exceedingly wet weather this year, the contractor has lost close to four weeks of construction time,” Galloway said. That, and the installation of brick-paver crosswalks from Allen Street to Seventh Avenue — a request made by “many of the merchants and property owners,” he said — have caused disruptions.“We can't run a business and we can't survive if we have constant disruption, and we've had constant disruption for five years now,” Ritchey said.The disruption began when the city installed new street lights along Main Street and then changed them to stop signs and then went back to street lights, Ritchey said. Phase one of the Main Street Improvement project began two years ago.“I'm against any more disruption on Main Street... it's killing business,” she said, adding that she has seen businesses on the edge close because of the extra headaches. “If they can make decisions that affect us, we should be able to vote and decide which officials we want to represent us.” Sherry Schmidt, owner of Four Seasons Christmas & Garden at 225 N. Main St., said she knows that the Main Street improvements have to be done. “It will be worth it in the long run, but it has hurt us.” Merchants such as Dawn “Mia” Freeman, owner of Mia's Marketplace of Antiques & More at 241 N. Main St., asked why some of the work could not be done around 5 p.m. when many businesses are closed.“I think it probably could have been planned a little bit better. I realize they're doing it in the wintertime so it's a slow time, but there are some things they could be doing at night instead of during the day,” Schmidt said. “But hindsight's always 20-20.”The road in front of Freeman's store was blocked off two days last week and about two hours Tuesday morning, she said. A lot of customers have complained. “It's hard when they're blocking off the roads,” she said. “A little inconvenience now, a big payoff in the end,” said Sheena Crowder, who was manning the store Wednesday afternoon. She added that customers have also noticed how nice the downtown looks with the renovations. “Our little street is just adorable. People that come here want to stay. Many of them move here,” she said.“They're doing the best they can. There's nothing they can do,” Schmidt added about Trace & Company, contractors priased by downtown merchants for keeping them in the loop with construction and accommodating their needs. Signs rerouting traffic have helped, said Randy Cox, manager of Mike's On Main at 303 N. Main St. He said he appreciates the company's show of support for businesses. “I like that any time they've been working anywhere near, they come in and eat in here, too,” he laughed.Cox added that business, for them, hasn't been so bad.“We still have the tourists. This doesn't seem to deter them at all,” he said. “The locals that want to come in here and eat, they're going to come in here and eat no matter what, and some of the people that avoid downtown no matter what, they're just going to avoid downtown.”City Engineer Brent Detwiler wrote in the city's letter to merchants that contractors will begin installing concrete along the 500 block “mid-week.” He said sidewalk construction in the 600 block “will continue over the next few weeks,” and Main Street from Sixth to Seventh avenues will “continue to be closed intermittently to accommodate (its) construction.”Out from the dustRitchey said tmerchants asked engineers to cease work temporarily for an 11 a.m. ribbon cutting April 16 honoring a new campaign to encourage local shopping. “Dust (from construction) was getting all over the food,” Ritchey said.A “layer of dust” also covers the tulips blooming downtown, she said. She cringed when she saw a tour bus pull through downtown last week. “Here we are right in the middle of the Tulip Extravaganza, one of the events that is important to us, and we've got construction going on here. Once these tulips start blooming and tour buses and photographers start coming in here, we need to have our streets ready,” Ritchey said. “Right now, I know it is terribly disruptive, with the work under way on Main between Fifth and Seventh (avenues) and the brick crosswalks being installed and the resurfacing being done,” Galloway said. “We extend apologies for the disruption but would ask that the business community be patient and bear with us another two months and see the tremendous results which will be fully evident on Main Street.”“The end result will be much better for the downtown community, and the merchants should reap the benefits of these improvements,” he added. “Already, the city is beginning to receive feelers from those who want to come to Hendersonville to see the improvements that have been made to this Main Street.”Galloway said the city may even host a meeting of the North Carolina Main Street organization later this year.“Those visits will have a direct impact upon the profits of the downtown merchants and business owners, and that is the reason the city is investing over $2 million in this last phase of the Main Street Improvement Project,” he said.Cox said he looks forward to hearing what his customers think of the changes, which he thinks are a vast improvement from downtown Hendersonville six years ago.“I love it here. We meet people from all over the world,” he said. “I think they're going to like it when they come.”“We're looking forward to it being finished,” Schmidt laughed.She hopes the city will tackle the need for more parking downtown next, adding that some spaces were lost during the streetscape improvements.Reach Weaver at emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.